Elsie rising as a fashion designer

ELSIE Bilawei Roroipe is one of Milne Bay’s rising fashion designers.
The 39-year-old from Suau, who is also part Nauruan, was always passionate about fashion from a young age.
She was one of the designers on Project Runway held in 2018 winning the sarong category award. She was also was a designer on the PNG Fashion and Design Week’s Plus Size run way that year and was later invited to a two-week mentoring session in Sydney with the Pacific International Runway.
Today, Roroipe is one of the main designers with the Women Weavers of Milne Bay Inc (Womb).
She said her appreciation for fashion was instilled by her mother. “There were three of us, sisters, we had two brothers, but growing up our mother always liked to dress the three girls in matching dresses that she made, so I guess, I was inspired by my mother,” she said.
Roroipe said she graduated from the University of PNG with a degree in arts and design in 2003. She then went to China in 2007 to study for a master’s degree but did not complete it and instead returned home in 2013 and started a small fashion design business.
“In 2016, I joined Womb and we’ve been holding our own small runaways and showcases annually at the Wanigili Education Milne Bay Centre, however, for this year we decided to postpone it due to Covid-19 restrictions.”
Roroipe admits that the fashion industry is not an easy one to survive in.
“We have challenges, just like other industries. For me personally, I’d really like to see an SME (small to medium enterprise) incubation centre set up in the province so that we can have a space to market our designs and products,” she said.
“The fashion industry is also growing and I think authorities should support us in getting our products that most are inspired from our rich and diverse Milne Bay culture out to the nation and also on a global scale. I think Milne Bay would offer a lot in this industry if given the support.”
When asked what her message would be for other young women who may also want to become designers like her, Roroipe said the answer was to start small, to believe in yourself, and to put your heart into it.
“I’ve seen a lot of young women with potential who went out into the world and got their wings broken that they have come back and completely lost interest in the industry, so yes, I would encourage them to start locally, create your own story and go out there so that you are prepared,” she said.